Santo António de Cascais Tower, Fortified tower in Cascais, Portugal.
Santo António de Cascais Tower is a fortified tower in Cascais featuring thick stone walls, a square floor plan, and four corner watchtowers designed for defense. The structure was built to command views of the sea and surrounding approaches from its elevated position.
King João II ordered its construction in 1488 as part of a defense network protecting Lisbon's harbor alongside the towers of São Sebastião and Belém. The structure later became integrated into the Citadel of Cascais, which transformed into a royal residence.
The tower is part of the coastal defense system that protected Portugal's maritime trade routes and connected to the Citadel of Cascais, later used as a royal summer retreat. It represents how the Portuguese responded to threats from the sea.
The interior remains closed to the public, but the exterior can be viewed from several points along the Cascais-Estoril coastal path. The best views come from the public walkways that surround the Citadel.
The tower contains an underground L-shaped cistern discovered during archaeological excavations in 1986. This finding reveals how defenders stored fresh water and prepared for extended sieges.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
